What's new
  • Happy Birthday ICMag! Been 20 years since Gypsy Nirvana created the forum! We are celebrating with a 4/20 Giveaway and by launching a new Patreon tier called "420club". You can read more here.
  • Important notice: ICMag's T.O.U. has been updated. Please review it here. For your convenience, it is also available in the main forum menu, under 'Quick Links"!

Best method for popping seeds

Imaperson

Member
Any info on it, or tip and tricks
I've popped alot of seeds , in dark , in light , water cup, paper towel,
What's been best for you?

I want a 100% germ this time , cant afford to lose these strains/seeds

Temps have been around 60s and lower
 

WHIPEDMEAT

Modortalan
Supermod
Veteran
1 vote for pure perlite

attachment.php
 

BOMBAYCAT

Well-known member
Veteran
I normally always use a seed sprouting heat mat. With older seeds, I soak in a glass of water overnight, then into the paper towel and I watch close for seed sprouting in about 3 days. Then they go into Solo cups with seed starting media and Glad wrap to keep the humidity in. As soon as they sprout above the media they go under the big light.

With very old seeds you will need to scuff them up some with an emery file used for fingernails, soak them in water with a bit of hydrogen peroxide or other chemicals and hope for the best as very old seeds are weak.
 
Seed in moist dirt, cover with Saran wrap or other plastic . Under t5 light, Keeping temperature in the 70s. Remove plastic as soon as they break dirt.

Doesn't really need to be more complicated. I have gotten 100% on ten year old seeds recently.
 
M

MagusMan

i use Saucer moist paper towel. Sat on top of cable box for heat had 95% but could have been a bad seed
 

f-e

Well-known member
Mentor
Veteran
I recently changed my method.

I start out with total confidence, that they will all make it.

So I know, at some time soon, they will be sat in my medium growing.

I don't want to put any undue stress upon them before this time.

Plants know which way is up. I don't want to re-orientate them.

Plants grow roots specific to the substrate. I don't want to change substrate.

I want one singular moisture level. Wet dry is nice, but learning one thing at a time is easier.

They should have enough food in them to get going, so adding more is a dangerous thing.


I lay them 10mm deep in pots of coco about 70mm3. After washing the coco through. I buy bottled water with an ec around 0.15 and raise this to 0.3 to wash it with. So I know what's there is a bit of everything, but not very much. Not as strong as some potting composts either, which have fried my seeds before. Our seeds are evolved for poor conditions, so some diy store brands are just too hot.

Speaking of hot. About 25c will do nicely. I have gone higher and got quicker results, but a lower success rate. Go too high, and I have seen some strange genetic expressions. I had Californian Indica reach for the sky, and after 12 weeks flower, I took them down early. Though the more establish opinion among friends, is a higher herm rate. And yes, they hermed everywhere.

One friend thinks anything that hatches at cellar temperatures is more likely to be a girl. We discussed that such a seed is in no rush. While one cracked at 30c may feel it's in a hurry.

My outdoors I crack between 22-25 and indoor stuff 24-26 ideally. I don't have specific temperatures for sats or indica's though. I don't have it down to that fine an art.
 

green-genes77

Active member
Veteran
Just pick one and go with it. This is an aspect of growing that is often way over-thought. What is important is that you maintain a dark environment, have your temps right around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and (if you aren't direct seeding), plant them as soon as you see a healthy root radicle.

I would avoid sprouting seeds in transparent containers with water and for god's sake don't wait until your sprouts are two inches long with unfurled cotyledons and covered in root hairs. They are incredibly easy to damage at that point and for some reason I have been seeing a lot of people waiting way longer than they should to plant after their seeds germinate.

Anyway, in order of my own personal preference: direct seed, paper towel method, perlite/other soilless media, cup of water method.
 
I've tried every method. My go to now is, fill the hole in a 3x3 rockwool cube with Fox Farms Light Warrior. I moisten the cube and soil with filtered water and a root enhancer I've mixed in a separate container. Sow the seed about a quarter inch deep and lightly cover it. Place cubes in humidity dome. When roots come out of the bottom of the cube, plant in your desired container.
 

PDX Dopesmoker

Active member
If you baby your seeds then you're gonna end up breeding plants that produce sissy seeds. Pop them outdoors in a bad neighborhood.
 

Drop That Sound

Well-known member
Bad neighborhood.. as in lots of potholes in the streets? I heard that's what they do down in Oregon to make sure they get filled quicker lol

I prefer to secretly pop them in the little old master gardener lady's rich organic flower beds down the road. Then when she posts her ad on craigslist, looking for someone to weed the beds, I get paid cash and fresh baked muffins to to get them all back ;)
 

Bud Green

I dig dirt
Veteran
Some people like germinating in soil filled containers.
If your good at it, that's great...But too many people over water in soil, and their seeds rot.

That said, keep your temps right, like Pinball Wizard said.
I use small, clear plastic cups with drain holes..
I use 3 parts Perlite to 1 part vermiculite, for my seed starting mixture..
 

TychoMonolyth

Boreal Curing
Soak water/peroxide 48 hrs, paper towel in a sealed zip and resting on a slight heat source (router?) until germination, then in prehydrated seedling starter in peat pots. *always watered from the bottom.
 

Noonin NorCal

Active member
Veteran
Recently i sprouted seeds and had better ratio with soaking in a cup of bottle water for 2 days until they split.

Then sprayed a paper towel place seeds in middle fold over and put in a gallon zip lock bag closed, 2-3 days later had tap root anywhere from 1-2 inches long.

Then popped em in moist soil, 4 inch plastic container. 2-3 days after that they came up. I had bottom heat, heat pad under the containers
 

Latest posts

Latest posts

Top